Riley: Maybe I should just let you rest. Buffy: You sure? I bet if you just lay down with me- Riley: Nothing you are about to say will lead to rest.

'Lessons'


Goodbye and Good Riddance 2011: Maybe the even years are better  

Every year we watch the Charlie Brown special, do the Snoopy dance, wish everybody a Merry Christmukkah, and thank our Secret Santas in the good riddance thread. Which is this one, in case you were wondering. 2011? Room for improvement. Srsly.


Stephanie - Dec 24, 2011 6:29:56 pm PST #201 of 408
Trust my rage

This has been a year of a huge amount of change for me. The external stuff is obvious - I filed for divorce after 11 years of marriage, I'm 9 months pregnant and I'm about to be a single mom of three supporting those three with my own business. Sometimes, I think I am nuts.

But really, I am so much happier than I was this time last year. I think they key is that I finally aligned my internal and external pictures of myself. Or said another way, I'm finally letting the rest of the world see who I am inside. It hasn't been an easy transition. I have agonized over a lot of it. But my new guiding principle has been truth and openness. That even when the truth is a bit awkward or embarrassing, you have to own it. And that has seemed to make all the difference.

Like I said, that was a hard conclusion to come to. There have been lots of awkward moments, but between my great family, amazing friends, and a wonderful therapist, I've reached a certain level of peace about who I am and how I want to live.

I have always thought of myself as responsible and thus, somewhat boring. But as my therapist pointed out to me, there is a certain amount of freedom in responsibility AND I have "lived" some exciting things.

Anyway, for me, it has been a positive year. Not an easy one, but one worth experiencing.


Toddson - Dec 24, 2011 6:50:56 pm PST #202 of 408
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

Really, 2011? you aren't going to let up?

Work has become a nightmare - I have a boss who has never told me what she wants, but jumps on every error, every typo I make, every error in judgement, until I'm afraid to make a move without her specific instructions ... and then gives me a bad evaluation for needing supervision. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to be responsible for maintaining the website, with no errors, no outdated info, but other people pop in and upload stuff without my knowledge and I'm supposed to know and make sure it's clean code, good graphics, and flawless text. Then my itty-bitty bonus check gets taken from my office while I was burning off some of the vacation time I haven't been allowed to use.

My health ... I'm still trying to recover from cataract surgery - it's been almost two months for the second eye, which feels like I have a contact lens that's slipped out of alignment ... with non-vision to match. And it's aggravated an existing condition, so my retinas are in danger.

To top off the year, on Christmas Eve the doctor calls to tell me I have diabetes.

2011, I can't wait for you to be gone.


Toddson - Dec 24, 2011 6:50:58 pm PST #203 of 408
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

Really, 2011? you aren't going to let up?

Work has become a nightmare - I have a boss who has never told me what she wants, but jumps on every error, every typo I make, every error in judgement, until I'm afraid to make a move without her specific instructions ... and then gives me a bad evaluation for needing supervision. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to be responsible for maintaining the website, with no errors, no outdated info, but other people pop in and upload stuff without my knowledge and I'm supposed to know and make sure it's clean code, good graphics, and flawless text. Then my itty-bitty bonus check gets taken from my office while I was burning off some of the vacation time I haven't been allowed to use.

My health ... I'm still trying to recover from cataract surgery - it's been almost two months for the second eye, which feels like I have a contact lens that's slipped out of alignment ... with non-vision to match. And it's aggravated an existing condition, so my retinas are in danger.

To top off the year, on Christmas Eve the doctor calls to tell me I have diabetes.

2011, I can't wait for you to be gone.


DCJensen - Dec 24, 2011 8:35:53 pm PST #204 of 408
All is well that ends in pizza.

Toddson, on the Diabetes front. It's something that you can live with, trust me. Not knowing is worse than knowing, because you could have screwed up your life.

If you can immediately work on keeping your blood sugars in a normal range, the eye will likely heal better.

I recommend reading up a lot, especially Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution.

The site has excerpts from his books, too.

He's the man who became a doctor at age 45 to get self-testing accepted by the medical community back in the day.


DCJensen - Dec 24, 2011 8:37:19 pm PST #205 of 408
All is well that ends in pizza.

And remember, the Buffistas are all here for you. I know that from experience.


amych - Dec 25, 2011 3:36:43 am PST #206 of 408
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?

I'm a little to scattered to do a big yearly sum-up, but I don't wanna let Xmas morning pass without saying I LOVE ALL YOU PEOPLE.


Anne W. - Dec 25, 2011 4:04:52 am PST #207 of 408
The lost sheep grow teeth, forsake their lambs, and lie with the lions.

What amych said!

Also, many, many thanks to my wonderful Secret Santa! I got a gorgeous pink and pewter insulated mug, a rubber ducky tea infuser, and a wonderful assortment of teas and coffees! Thank you so much, Secret Santa! I've already tried the Yule tea, which has orange peel and rose petals and nummy spices. So very, very delicious. What a wonderful way to start the morning.


Dana - Dec 25, 2011 5:12:57 am PST #208 of 408
"I'm useless alone." // "We're all useless alone. It's a good thing you're not alone."

Aw, Toddson, I'm sorry. Daniel is right, though -- you will probably feel better once you get the whole meds/blood sugar thing going. It's a pain, but it doesn't have to be a huge drama.


msbelle - Dec 25, 2011 4:07:10 pm PST #209 of 408
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb

Tomorrow is usually the day that is hard for mac, but we had a pretty low key day today and all went well. No one had more than 4 gifts to open and I think I have completely bought in to the movement away from a commercialized Christmas. Next year, maybe only one gift each.


smonster - Dec 25, 2011 5:15:31 pm PST #210 of 408
We won’t stop until everyone is gay.

Good stuff, msbelle. Glad to hear it. I've been thinking of y'all and wondering how the day went.